Karel Komárek

Karel Komárek’s Biography

Karel Komárek is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the global investment group KKCG three decades ago.

KKCG’s diverse portfolio includes some of Europe’s fastest-growing businesses, with leading positions in lottery and entertainment, energy, tech, and real estate. KKCG and its portfolio companies employ over 16,000 people across 40+ countries. Drawing from its own capital, and expertise from across the group, KKCG businesses are positioned for long-term, sustainable growth.

Driving KKCG’s long-term strategy, Karel has spent 30+ years building successful businesses. His entrepreneurial journey began in post-Velvet Revolution Czechoslovakia, where, in 1992, he founded an industrial valves wholesale business, using it as a stepping stone to the energy sector.

In 2011, under Karel’s leadership, KKCG rescued Sazka, the Czech lottery operator, from near bankruptcy. He later formed Sazka Group, which rebranded as Allwyn – now the global lottery operator of choice, with leading positions in the UK, US (Illinois), Greece & Cyprus, Austria, Italy, and the Czech Republic.

Beyond... Karel Komárek is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the global investment group KKCG three decades ago.

KKCG’s diverse portfolio includes some of Europe’s fastest-growing businesses, with leading positions in lottery and entertainment, energy, tech, and real estate. KKCG and its portfolio companies employ over 16,000 people across 40+ countries. Drawing from its own capital, and expertise from across the group, KKCG businesses are positioned for long-term, sustainable growth.

Driving KKCG’s long-term strategy, Karel has spent 30+ years building successful businesses. His entrepreneurial journey began in post-Velvet Revolution Czechoslovakia, where, in 1992, he founded an industrial valves wholesale business, using it as a stepping stone to the energy sector.

In 2011, under Karel’s leadership, KKCG rescued Sazka, the Czech lottery operator, from near bankruptcy. He later formed Sazka Group, which rebranded as Allwyn – now the global lottery operator of choice, with leading positions in the UK, US (Illinois), Greece & Cyprus, Austria, Italy, and the Czech Republic.

Beyond lottery-led entertainment, KKCG includes the MND Group, a producer and supplier of traditional & renewable energy in Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, and Ukraine; Aricoma & Avenga, a global IT service and custom software provider and KKCG Real Estate Group, a key player in Central European commercial, industrial, and residential projects.

Karel is committed to lasting impact commercially and charitably. With his wife, Štěpánka Komárková, he co-founded the Karel Komárek Family Foundation (KKFF), supporting community development, urban transformation, and arts education.

A dedicated patron of the arts, Karel is a former co-chair of the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts and co-founder of the Dvořák Prague Music Festival.

Challenging the status quo, he co-founded More Than Equal in 2022, an initiative seeking the first female F1 World Champion. READ MORE VIEW LESS

Karel Komárek’s Newsfeed

ESPN

F1 Academy reaffirms commitment to female F1 driver with development partnership

Karel Komárek’s Background

KKCG

Founder and Chairman of the Board

Prague, CZ

KKCG is an innovative global investment group sporting a large portfolio of companies across various industries in more than 40 countries.

Karel Komárek’s Gallery

Karel Komárek is best known as the Founder of KKCG

Karel and Štěpánka Komárek at The Kennedy Center

Karel and Štěpánka Komárek, founders of the Karel Komárek Family Foundation

Karel Komárek at a charity event at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, photographed the Director General of the Czech National Museum, and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Philanthropy

Karel Komárek Family Foundation

Co-Founder and Chairman of Trustees

2017 - Present

Prague, CZ

The Karel Komárek Family Foundation (KKFF) was formed to enable individuals as well as communities to reach their full potential. Beautiful (public) spaces are achieved through working with the Promĕny Foundation. The charity supports arts and culture in the shape of the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival.

Ark for Ukraine

Supporter

Ark for Ukraine develops and deploys mobile safeguard vehicles equipped with advanced security and digitization technology, real-time tracking, and expert teams, working closely with Ukrainian institutions, local communities, and international experts to preserve and protect culturally significant objects.

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Media

Charity Gala in London to Save Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage

Article

Mar 2025

London's Victoria and Albert Museum was the venue for a charity event held to support the Ark III project. Ark aims to protect Ukrainian culture from the devastation of war. Karel was one of the speakers alongside former UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and Michal Lukeš; the Director General of the Czech National Museum.

Lottery operator Allwyn joins F1 as official partner

Article

Feb 2025

Karel Komárek's lottery business Allwyn, a flagship of his KKCG investment group, have announced a multi-year partnership with Formula One. The partnership was formed with brand awareness as the key focus.

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Interviews

Just The Ticket: It’s One Small Step Per Day for Entrepreneur Karel Komárek

Article

London, UK

Anna Blomefield interviewed Karel Komárek during his visit to London to support Allwyn's winning bid to operate the UK's National Lottery following the expiry of Camelot’s licence in 2024.

Features

Building a future for art | Donor spotlight | Karel and Štěpánka Komárek

Article

Aug 2024

Washington, DC, USA

Myles King writes about the contribution of Karel and Štěpánka Komárek to the development of The Kennedy Center for Arts.

Czech billionaire bets on lotteries for growth

Article

Jun 2024

Prague, CZ

Michael Kahn's article focuses on Karel's journey and how he turned his regional energy company into a global business empire in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Kahn writes about how KKCG investment group is betting on selling lottery tickets to drive international growth.

Founder & Chairman of the Board, KKCG

Val de Bagnes, Switzerland | Prague, Czech Republic

Karel Komárek’s Biography

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